WP2: The Connected Disconnect Between Asian & Western Beauty
In my last project, I began to delve into the Filipino beauty standard and how it’s rooted in colorism — the idea that people have more value if their skin is lighter due to the lasting impact of colonization. I interviewed nine Asians to learn how they understand beauty with the intention of beginning to see the ties between beauty standards and cultures.
What I learned is that despite the different approaches and various ideas of beauty in each country, the strive for Eurocentrism and whiteness is incredibly strong everywhere. Whether that’s through skin bleaching, only having pale figures in media, or horrendously reducing Asian culture to a trend, the desire to be perceived as White is prominent not out of self-hatred but because of the Western influence on each country and the embedded practice of classism and colorism in everyday life.
Below is a video introduction to those I’ve interviewed as well as their background in order to further understand their perspectives. (TW: Brief mentions of SA, body image, and weight loss)
“When you think of the Western beauty standard, who or what features come to mind?”
Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Dove Cameron, Zendaya, Madison Beer, and Bella Hadid were named. The idea of blonde hair, blue eyes, straight/tall noses, pale skin, and sharp features were a reoccurring theme in their idea of Western beauty.
By seeing the same or similar features on every public figure, the idea that comes across is that if you look any different, you aren’t beautiful. This fuels a damaging self-evaluation and constant comparison between those in the media and average people. Questions such as “will those clothes fit the same on me?” and “how can I make my nose look like that?” pile up in their mind.
The beauty standard is highly unattainable but nevertheless highly sought out. Sanaa had mentioned that “plastic surgery has become a component” to the Western image of beauty, leading many to lean towards implants and injections in order to be perceived as beautiful to the public which is 100% true as most, and if not all, of the celebrities listed above have gone through some form of cosmetic surgery.
Attached to that idea, RJ brought up the correlation between wealth and beauty. Women seen as the beauty standard are always affluent and wealthy, fueling the ties of what’s seen as beautiful to classism. Those who are rich can afford multiple cosmetic surgeries to alter their appearance, having the ability to add or take away from their bodies based on the current trend. There has been a recent thread of celebrities admitting that they’ve went through surgery which has helped pull back the veil of perfection but on the other hand, there are others who repeatedly deny that they’ve had any work done despite the procedures being confirmed by their surgeons.*
“When you think of the Asian beauty standard, who or what features come to mind?”
Thin face, light skin, slim body, round eyes, double eyelids as well as the idea of frailness and youth were ideas that came to mind of those of East Asian descent. Song Hye-Kyo, IU, Kathryn Bernardo, and Soojin were listed as examples of Asian beauty.
There was a noticeable difference in the way that those of South Asian roots perceive beauty due to the media they consume. In Bollywood, actresses are typically very skinny and have paler skin. Maheen had mentioned that a pear shaped body or a thin shape is desired but Bollywood often leans towards the pale and skinny actors which doesn’t represent the majority of the population in any way shape or form. This has further caused a disconnect in how Asian beauty is perceived as Sanaa put it.
On another note, Eli had noted that there’s a big contrast in Asian VS Asian-American beauty standards. Asian beauty standards tend to lean towards the likes of IU and Soojin, but Asian-American beauty standards have recently revolved around the “ABG” look, slang for Asian Babygirl. The term itself derives from a derogatory term used to describe Southeast Asian women involved in gangs, drugs, and crime, calling someone an ABG simply waters down the subtext. With this connotation, the idea that comes across is that Southeast Asian women can’t be seen as pretty if they aren’t an ABG.
The practice of skin whitening is prominent throughout all of Asia. In my previous WP, I began to explore skin bleaching in the Philippines but Maheen had their own experiences with it. As a child, they were told to apply sunscreen daily. It wasn’t until later that they realized it was Fair and Lovely skin brightening cream, a popular brand in South Asia that generated $560 million in sales in 2020 (Washington Post, 2020). Being under the impression that being pale determines your worth, the strive for whiteness is engrained in people from a young age.
“Do you think that the West has started to appreciate or appropriate Asian culture?”
None of those I interviewed had a straight answer when presented the question. All of them mentioned that there’s both in today’s culture. JeongAh had mentioned that once Americans begin to embrace the fashion and culture from Asian countries, they begin to appropriate it and water it down to a trend. A reoccurring trend that was mentioned in nearly every interview was the fox eye trend.
The fox eye trend is a makeup look that creates a dramatic winged aesthetic that manipulates the eye to look more almond shaped and upturned, a feature that’s common in Asian people.
On the topic of the fox eye, Faithe sees it as more “appropriative because it benefits from taking parts of an Asian appearance but doesn’t credit it. It takes benefits having Asian features without the consequences of being perceived as Asian in America.”
Maddi had noted that despite it just being makeup, it still brings up insecurities as many Asian children were made fun of their eye shape, bullied by others pulling their eyes out and squinting. Asian features are “praised when it’s not coming from an Asian.”
JeongAh had stated that “Asian beauty standards are accepted but also centered towards East Asian/Anime girl to where it becomes a fetish and is still East-centric.”
With the rising presence of Asian culture in the West through anime, K-pop, shows, and beauty products, fetishization has become a prominent issue and concern in the Asian community. Asian women are seen as “docile and submissive, reducing a person to a sexual figure” as Aerin put it. This perception impacts how one goes about romantic pursuits, coming with a distrust of White people. “There’s always a worry in the back of your mind if someone White approaches you. Is it because of fetishization or are you genuinely interested in me? Which is something White people never think about.”
RJ has noticed that White men see Filipina women as “caretakers and use their want of wanting to live in America to their advantage,” furthering the infantilization of Asians and reducing them to a look rather than a person.
Hand in hand with the fetishization of Asians comes the appropriation of Asian culture as well.
Sanaa has seen the on-campus Western beauty standard start to include Korean beauty but “South Asian culture has been appropriated. Kim Kardashian and Selena Gomez have appropriated bindis which are important in Hinduism.” There’s a trend of Asian culture being reduced to an accessory or piece of clothing despite there being religious and or cultural meaning behind it.
At the end of the day, there’s seemingly a mixture of both and Elodie says, “it’s hard to balance out and find a general opinion because it’s subjective including the standard of beauty.” In recent years, Asian beauty has penetrated the Western beauty world and many are curious to see what happens next.
After spending an hour with each interviewee, I’ve noticed that there’s a common thread that runs throughout all of the responses. It’s a “proximity to whiteness” as Aerin put it. In countries where colorism runs deep, being pale gives you authority and priority. Often this means that those who have Eurocentric features are valued over everyone else. The pursuit of white skin isn’t a pursuit to be white but it’s a pursuit for power and respect.
*Note: This is not to put down those who have gone through any form of cosmetic surgery as it’s their choice and body, but there’s a difference between being transparent about the procedure and causing further damage by pretending as if one has had that feature “naturally”.
Special Thanks To: Sanaa Alam, RJ Edrolin, Maheen Haseeb, Faithe Nguyen, Aerin Oh, JeongAh Park, Eli Chen-Sheng, Madeleine Tseng, and Elodie Zhen.
Works Cited:
Chandani, Anum, et al. “Opinion | ‘Fair & Lovely,’ Skin Whitening and the Pitfalls of Performative Allyship.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 25 Aug. 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/28/fair-lovely-skin-whitening-pitfalls-performative-allyship/.
Team, Editorial. “The Controversial Fox Eye Trend That People Either Love or Hate.” NYLON SINGAPORE, 1 July 2020, https://www.nylon.com.sg/2020/07/the-controversial-fox-eye-trend-that-people-either-love-or-hate/.